HUMOUR AS COGNITIVE–PRAGMATIC SCRIPT OPPOSITION: AN INTEGRATIVE LINGUISTIC MODEL

Abstract

The article examines humour as a multidimensional cognitive-pragmatic phenomenon. Drawing upon classical philosophical insights, semantic script theory, and affective violation models, the study proposes an integrative framework explaining humour as simultaneous activation of opposing scripts under conditions of benign violation. The analysis synthesizes Aristotle’s concept of homo ridens, Veatch’s violation–normality theory, and Attardoʻs General Theory of Verbal Humor. It is argued that humour emerges at the intersection of semantic opposition, affective ambivalence, pragmatic framing, and social positioning. The study contributes to linguistic pragmatics by offering a structured four-layer model applicable to verbal humour across discourse types.